The Best Part of Waking Up
by jbeezysoeasy
Summary: Bella spends some time alone in the kitchen Christmas morning, until she receives the shock of her life. *Now adding the back story to the original one shot* Bella wakes up in a strange place New Year's Day.
1. Christmas Day 2011

**The first thing I've written in almost a year, so I had to post it...longer A/N at the bottom. Obviously I don't own the characters, but it is my plot.**

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"This is so dumb," she tells herself, speaking the words into the dark, silent kitchen. She can't remember why it seemed like a good idea, being around people for Christmas. "You didn't want to be alone for the holiday," she answers herself, wincing at the hollowness of her tone. She realizes now that being alone every day had prepared her for being alone on this day, and that surrounding herself with people had actually made her loneliness worse.

Rose and Emmett had invited her months ago, but she had waited until last week to agree. And then she had given in only because one of them had called her almost every day trying to convince her that she would not be intruding on their family gathering.

Bella had caved when she heard the stress, the emotion in Rosalie's voice during that final phone call. She knew it was their first Christmas without him as well, and with Rosalie's pregnancy already so fraught with trouble, she had decided it might help things if she just went. Not sitting alone in her empty, undecorated living room might also have been a consideration.

She knew she would have to get over it eventually, that it had already taken too long according to some people. But her father had never really liked him anyway. And Jessica had simply been jealous that he had chosen Bella instead of her.

Somewhere in the house a clock ticked over another hour, echoing loudly in the utter silence. Her eyes found the digital read out on the microwave and she sighed heavily. Two hours had already passed with her seated at the small island counter, while everyone else slept peacefully. She rose slowly, stretching the stiffness in the small of her back, and shuffled to the coffee pot. Bella figured she might as well make herself useful and give the others some caffeine to wake up to. She knew Alice's son would be up and begging to open presents shortly.

She focused on her task, willing her trembling hands to stop shaking. Two tablespoons of coffee for four cups of water, she told herself, filters are in the cupboard above the sink. She talked herself through the steps, until the sound of water gurgling through the coffee maker filled the room. The room filled with the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee, and she decided that caffeine might not be a bad thing for her, having been awake since four in the morning.

The mug was hot against her hands as she turned around, intending to go back to her cute little guest room and put on actual clothing. The tall figure in the doorway to the entry hall startled her, causing a drop of brown liquid to slosh onto her hand as she set the mug down with a bang.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice high-pitched and quivering as thoughts of a mental breakdown ran through her mind.

"I brought you a gift," he answered, his voice soft as he stepped more fully into the room, a small box with a red bow sitting on the palm of his hand.

Her heart was pounding, she was sure he could hear the thud, thud, thud of it hammering against her ribcage.

"Wha? How?" she huffed, so many words tumbling through her brain that none of them could fight their way out.

He just smiled at her gently, extending his hand farther. She bit her lip, barely believing this could be happening, and reached out slowly. Excitement hummed through her body when her hand brushed his, as she confirmed that he was really standing before her and not some sick delusion cause by her lack of sleep.

The present slid across the island as she flung it aside and leapt into his waiting arms.

"You're the only gift I need," she breathed into his mouth.

They consumed each other, lips, and tongues and teeth clashing. Every time they paused to breathe she interjected a question or comment, then melded her lips back to his before he could answer.

"How did you get here?"

"I thought you were gone for two years…"

"Do Rose and Emmett know?"

"Do you have to go back?"

"I love you, Edward."

His pressed uniform was crisp beneath her body, his tousled hair soft against her fingers. She inhaled his scent, so unbearably absent from her life for the last nine months.

He could feel the damp of her tears on his cheek, not ashamed to admit that a few of his own were mingled in with hers. He had missed her warmth against him, the firm curve of her waist where his hand fit perfectly.

"I flew, it's just a week of leave, yes, they got you here, I really wish you would open the present. I love you too, Bella." The words tumbled out of his lips in a rush the next time they broke apart. They were both breathing heavily, faces flushed, eyes devouring faces and figures so familiar yet somehow changed.

Emmett leaned against the door jamb, Rosalie tucked underneath his arm. He inhaled the scent of coffee and with it the pure joy that filled the little kitchen. He looked down at his beautiful wife, smirking slightly at the tears in her eyes.

He grinned and nudged his wife's pregnant belly gently, "How long before Bella gets over the shock of seeing him and realizes that present is the exact size of a ring box?"

***&*%*&***

**A/N: So this was inspired by that Folger's commercial about the sister waiting up for her brother to get home from Africa or wherever, but it evolved into this. I didn't mark it as complete, because I could eventually go back and write a couple lead in chapters, and maybe a few what happened next chapters. If I did, they would all be short little snapshots like this was. And I'm not making any promises, who knows, maybe no one will even be interested in something like that. Also, this was deliberately vague, but for those who need confirmation: Edward is in the military, serving a tour overseas, Emmett is his big brother, Rosalie is his sister-in-law, Alice is his little sister and Jasper is his brother-in-law, and in case you didn't catch it, Bella is about to be his fiancee.**

**Thanks for reading! - J**


	2. New Year's Day 2011

***Important!*** So, I have decided to treat my one shot as a kind of prologue, and I am going to be posting the back story. I don't have a ton of time to write, so "chapters" will be short, and I will probably jump forward in time at certain parts, because I will not be writing a whole year worth of chapters. Also, I write for fun, and I will not be doing a ton of research to make everything in this story accurate. If that's upsetting to you, I recommend you not read this. My Edward is in the military, and I know almost nothing about how the actual military runs, so all of my "facts" are based on movies that I have watched or books I have read. With that said, enjoy!

**New Years Day, 2011**

"Bella…" he whispered in her ear, his voice husky, sending shivers down her spine. Her whole body tingled in anticipation as his hand began a slow path down her body. She turned her head slightly, nuzzling into his neck to inhale… coffee? Her eyelids fluttered as she heard her name again, this time from farther away and much louder.

"Hmmm?" she grumbled, stretching slightly when awareness returned and she realized she was in bed. It had been a dream. Except, the coffee scent was still very present, and that male voice had not been her imagination.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked, sitting straight up. Her eyes found him quickly were he stood next to the bed. His own eyes were wide with shock and worry and humor. Why was he in her bedroom? Wait, this wasn't her room! Her eyes darted back and forth as she took in the clean studio-style apartment, the futon with its rumpled blanket, and then again the stranger.

He was watching her carefully still, but his head was tilted to the side and his lips curved into a little grin.

"What am I doing here? Who are you? What happened last night?" she rattled off the questions without pausing to breathe, or for him to answer.

"You don't…remember?" he asked softly, his brow furrowed with concern.

"Not at the moment," she gritted out between clenched teeth. She could feel tears threatening as the scenarios running through her mind got worse and worse.

"We met, last night, at the bar?" he told her, hoping for some sign that the memories were coming back. "My name is Edward, and um, I brought you home with me."

Her eyebrows lifted at his sheepish look, and she almost grinned at how boyish it made his face, before the embarrassment and panic set back in.

"Did we, umm, do anything?" she asked cautiously, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You really don't remember?" he sighed when she shook her head no. "I was sitting next to you and your friend; I think her name was Jessica?" Bella nodded, letting him know she at least remembered her friend's name. "Some creepy guy brought you a drink, and it wasn't but a few minutes after you finished it that you started swaying in your seat. Your friend was talking to me and didn't notice at first. But when I told her I thought you had maybe had too much to drink, she insisted she wasn't ready to leave yet." Edward frowned in disapproval as he remembered how callous her friend had been. He wasn't dumb; he knew that Jessica had been able to tell that he had been much more interested in Bella than he had been in her. And he could understand female jealousy, but he had a suspicion that Bella had been drugged, and Jessica had been aware and not even cared. Of course, he didn't feel the need to upset Bella even more by telling her that.

"I was going to drive you home, but when I asked if you could tell me how to get to your house, you started singing the Sesame Street theme song," he continued, lips quirking when Bella's entire body flushed red. "So, I brought you here and prayed like hell that you don't have a giant brother, boyfriend, or father who will revel in kicking my ass once I do drive you home."

When he finally finished recounting their evening, Bella experienced a strange mix of relief and disappointment. She was glad he hadn't taken advantage of her in her vulnerable state, but she was sort of hoping he would indicate at least a slight interest in ravishing her. She'd had time to examine him as he spoke, and she definitely liked what she saw. Lean, but muscular, she judged him to be at least six feet tall, he had gorgeous green eyes, tousled auburn hair, and a jaw that would be right at home in her secret folder of Google images she collected of male celebrity jaw lines.

"So we didn't, um, do anything once we got here?" she asked him slowly, wanting to be 100% sure her virtue was intact.

"No," he grinned at her, "I usually prefer conscious women."

"Good, cause I've never done that," she blurted out in relief.

"Had a one night stand?" he asked.

"Yeah," she confirmed, glad that he had misunderstood her statement. She would just die if he…

"Oh, I thought you meant sex in general," he smirked, loving the way her blush returned in full force. He found her absolutely adorable.

"I, um, huh?" Bella stuttered out, feeling her face get hot and her ears burn.

"When I was tucking you in last night, you kept telling me you were a good girl, that you were saving yourself for marriage," he explained, taking pity on her.

"Oh lord," she sighed, covering her face with her hands. How was she supposed to look him in the eye now?

"Don't be embarrassed, I think that's really great," he spoke softly, gently grasping her wrists and pulling her hands away from her flushed face, "I wish I had waited, which I know isn't a popular opinion among most men, and if it makes you feel any better, I'm celibate now."

"Really?" she asked him, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. He was entranced, caught in the shimmering chocolate brown of her eyes. After a long pause, during which he scolded himself for wanting to lay her down on the bed and make out with her like a teenager, he nodded his head.

"Really," he confirmed. The stared at each other silently for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been more than a minute.

"Here, I, uh, brought you coffee, it's probably cold now," he mutter, gesturing to the mug sitting on his bedside stand. "I can get a new one," he started.

"No!" she practically shouted, "I mean, no thank you, Edward, I actually like my coffee lukewarm." Bella picked up the ceramic mug and sipped carefully. "Perfect," she told him, smiling softly at his pleased expression.

"I left you a washcloth and a new toothbrush in the bathroom," he told her, gesturing to a closed door across the room from the bed, "You can clean up a little and then I'll take you home." He started backing toward the door as she pulled back the covers and hopped off the bed.

"Thanks," she grinned, her eyes twinkling, "And Edward, I don't have a boyfriend, but my brother and my dad are both cops." His mouth dropped open and he paled, making his hair look redder against the white of his forehead. Bella giggled as she shut herself in bathroom, suddenly feeling much better about the strange situation she'd gotten into.


	3. The Drive Home

**A/N: So, super short, but I already have the next bit written, and jumping straight to it without this tiny part seemed too abrupt.**

**All characters recognizable from the Twilight series belong to S.M. The plot is technically mine, though I do admit to being influenced by years of trashy romance novel reading.**

"There's some type of game on tv today, we're having a party," Bella broke the silence in the car, "You are welcome to join us." She wasn't sure where her sudden bravery came from, but she knew she didn't want this ride home to be the last time they were together.

Edward had promised to watch the game with his brother, but Bella's offer was too tempting. He'd known her for less than 24 hours but she had captivated all his senses. Her voice was gentle and melodic, and he couldn't get her deep, brown eyes out of his mind. His hands flexed on the steering wheel as he remembered how soft and sweet-smelling her hair had been when he'd brushed it back from her face after putting her in his bed. God, he sounded like the worst kind of ponce-y poet, rhapsodizing about a girl who he had basically kidnapped while she was drunk off her ass.

Still, he found himself agreeing to her proposal, "If you're sure your dad won't be plotting my imminent death the whole time."

She giggled, and it ended in a little snort. She was embarrassed and flushed a becoming shade of pink. He thought it was unbelievably cute.

"I have no idea what teams are playing, usually I just cheer for whatever color my dad isn't. But I would recommend that you cheer for the same team as him," she smiled winningly, enjoying the way he paled slightly.

"As for him plotting your death, as long as we make it clear that it's not your fault I had too much to drink, he should be relieved you rescued me from a probably dire fate," she wrinkled her nose, trying to play it off as a joke. Still, now that she'd had time to consider, to try and remember, Bella knew she'd had only one drink before that guy bought her one. She wasn't a big drinker, but she wasn't such a lightweight that she couldn't handle two drinks. Her heart sped up a little as she thought about the possibilities, about what could have happened if Edward hadn't been there, or hadn't been such a gentleman.

Bella had fallen silent after her failed joke, giving Edward time to reflect on the danger she had been in as well. He rather thought he should pull her dad aside and let him know exactly what he thought about Jessica and her seeming disregard for Bella's well being. He supposed he'd have to see just how well the man took to him before he arranged a private conversation.

"Turn here," Bella pointed, shaking herself out of her little funk, "It's the third house on the left."

Edward followed her instructions obediently, pulling slowly into her driveway. A burly man came to the door as Edward got out of his car, practically running to get around it and open the door for Bella before she got it herself. He helped her up from the low car, looking back up at the man in the doorway. He was glaring at Edward, his mustache twitching. Edward thought he'd probably be dead by now, if looks could kill, and he would have sworn he could feel the force of that stare pressing into his chest.

No, there won't be any private conversations in the foreseeable future, he decided.


	4. The Football Game

**A/N: So I'm trying this thing where I always have one more chapter written than is posted, which is why even though this was written a month ago, you're just getting it now. I did warn you I suck at the whole timely posting sitch. Oh, and Twilight isn't mine, obvi.**

Bella watched Edward sitting on the couch between her brother Seth and his best friend Jake. He was rigid with tension, but he valiantly tried to appear as if he was watching and enjoying the football game on TV.

Introducing him to her father had not gone as well as she had hoped. Evidently Jessica had sobered up sometime around 4 am and called Charlie, frantically claiming that Bella had been kidnapped by a random stranger at the bar. It took her dad twenty minutes to call all his buddies on the force to let them know they could stop searching for her, then another twenty minutes to convince him that Edward had not kidnapped her, nor had she gone home with him to, "er, continue their association," as Charlie had awkwardly worded it.

Bella had tried to discreetly let Edward know that she no longer expected him to stick around for the game, but he had been adamant. She blushed a little, thinking back on how he had earnestly explained that he would like to spend the evening with her again sometime, preferably with her knowledge ahead of time.

So, she'd given up trying to gently nudge him out the door, and had instead appealed to her brother Seth to make Edward feel more welcome. Seth, thankfully, was altogether more forgiving than her father to start with, so persuading him to chat with Edward had not been too difficult.

Jake, strangely, had taken her father's side in the matter, and had blocked all of her attempts to talk to Edward, or even sit next to him.

"So, Edward, I don't remember if we discussed it," she blushed a little, "But what do you do?"

"Oh," he gave her a crooked smile, "We didn't, but I am in the Army."

"Wow, I'm impressed," she told him, her mind wandering to what he must look like in uniform.

"Military men are bad at relationships," Charlie spoke for the first time since the game began, "Always gone on duty, and I hear they sleep with any woman who will have them the minute they get overseas."

Edward went ruddy with rage and embarrassment. He couldn't help but take the accusation personally, as it was intended, and in regards to him it was patently untrue. But he was unable to deny that many men in the military acted exactly that way.

Before he could speak up to defend his honor, if not the entire military, Bella spoke again.

"Right, like the only men who cheat are in the military?" she growled at her father, obviously fed up with his dislike of Edward, "You can't possibly know if Edward acts that way, and I think its really noble and brave of him to give up years of his life for our country. I can't believe you would be so rude."

Bella stood and walked over to Edward, "I think it is best if you leave, it cannot be comfortable to be around such obnoxious behavior," she told him, smiling through the tears of anger that she could feel in the corners of her eyes. "But I promise, if you call me, I will go on as many dates with you as you want!" she was close to yelling, and he knew she said it mostly to piss her father off, but Edward intended to take her at her word anyway.

He nodded at her, rose from the couch and headed towards the front hall. "It was…interesting to meet you," he said politely to room at large.

Bella followed him to the door, leaning against the wall as he shrugged on his coat. "I am so sorry," she whispered, no longer able to hold back the tears, "He's not normally such a jerk."

"Its not your fault," he shrugged, "I would probably have a hard time dealing with the situation if it had been my daughter who I thought was missing."

"Thanks again, for everything," she sniffed, opening the door so that he could step out.

"No problem," he smiled, "Go charge your phone so I can call you to set up the first of our 'as many dates as I want.'"

She grinned up at him, "I'm never gonna live that down."

"Nope," he tapped a finger on her nose, "Talk to you later."

Bella closed the door behind Edward with a sigh. Not at all interested in rejoining the group of guys in the other room, she grabbed her dead phone out of her purse and headed up to her room to plug it in.

Bella headed to the bathroom next, determined to wash away the left over fogginess from the night before. Her shower was long and soothing, and she felt refreshed when she stepped back into her room wrapped in a fluffy towel.

Her phone was sitting innocently on her nightstand, the little green text message light blinking away.

She quickly crossed the room, snatching up the phone and unlocking the screen. There were 24 text messages, mostly from Jess, Seth, Jake and her dad. But one, the only one she cared about, was from an unknown number.

*_Bella, this is Edward. What are you doing tomorrow night for dinner? Let me take you out?_*

He had sent it not more than five minutes after he left her house.

*_Can't wait, pick me up at 6?_* Her fingers trembled with excitement as she texted him back. Bella made sure to save his number to her address book, using the name "Edward hot army guy," before she flopped onto her small, twin bed and indulged herself in a very girly, very immature freak out that involved kicking legs and screaming into her pillow.


End file.
